The city was named after David Shelton, a delegate to the territorial legislature.

[7] The land was previously called "Cota" and was inhabited and managed by the Squaxin Island Tribe, or "People of the Waters", who had inhabited the land for centuries before contact with white settlers.

miles of Indigenous land, on December 26, 1854, with the passage of the Treaty of Medicine Creek.

These boats included the Old Settler, Irene, Willie, City of Shelton, Marian, Clara Brown, and S.G.

[9] The economy was built around logging, farming, dairying and ranching as well as oyster cultivation.

[10] Shelton also identified itself as "Christmastown, USA" due to the area's cultivation of Christmas trees; the name was later revived for an annual festival.

[11][12] The Ridge Motorsports Park opened in 2012, and has hosted MotoAmerica and Trans-Am Series races.

[13] With extremely precipitous rainfall in winter and dry summer of less than 33 mm in the driest month (less than 1/3 of the rainy season), Shelton has a warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) with cold winters, similar to the larger cities of the Pacific Northwest.

29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[17] In November 2017, the voters of Shelton adopted a council-manager form of municipal governance.